Because of You
by Mayu Sato
Summary: When he woke up that morning he didn't think he'd become friends with Randall, let alone start feeling bad for him. Sully bumps into Randall and it's the last straw. He learns that he's partially to blame for Randall being bullied and formulates a plan to fix the problems he's caused. Friendship to romance one-shots. MU to Inc. Rated for slight language.
1. Because of You

**Because of You**

He was the carefree guy most people were naturally attracted to. He was good at making friends, always had been. Later in life he knew that had probably contributed to his cockiness in youth. When everyone wants to be your pall it's easy to pick and choose who you hang out with. Girls giggled when he winked at them, they blushed when he cruised by them in the camass halls, he charmed his teachers, and he won over his enemies with a smile and a joke. Some of the charm was in his name, the rest was in his strong, handsome build, winning grin, and go with the flow attitude 'cause it'll all work out was like light in the dark.

What he didn't realize was that as brightly as he shone, he could also easily burn people without knowing it. He could be an inconsiderate jerk sometimes, and now was one of the times. It had seemed inconsequential, an action without repercussions. For Peat's sake, he had bumped the scrawny monster; he'd been in a hurry. Granted, Johnny had called the monster a geeky wimp who didn't belong on a scare flood, and he had laughed, but he hadn't said it! At worst he was an accomplice.

So why did he feel so bad?

It was the sound that had wormed from the monster's throat, he decided. A cross between a whimper and a sob. The furry monster had turned around to tell him to lighten up, but the look on the lizard's face was heart wrenching. Tears were welling up in his emerald eyes behind those thick glasses lenses, his arms and tail were coiled around his lithe body protectively, as if nursing a painful wound. Sully felt a stab of guilt and held back as the fraternity continued on uncaringly, howling and laughing. The lizard that hung around Mike squeaked and suddenly went invisible, his glasses hovering in the air. Sullivan sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Look, I'm sorry. Here," he moved forward and gathered his fallen materials into a neat pile. Randall hesitantly came back into sight, wiping furiously at his tears. He snatched his stuff from Sully's hands and held it close to him. James stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He'd already apologized. In the end the slighter boy spoke and he didn't have to decide on what to say.

"Why do you insist on making my life miserable?" his voice wavered and a few tears spilled over.

"What do you mean, I don't even know you." Sully said in confusion. Randall's fronds became erect with anger.

"Maybe not, but you've hurt me." The blue monster was about to ask and he went on. "You remember the party the second day of school? I was there, trying to make a good impression so that for once in my life people would like me, but no! You showed up," he hissed, slithering up to him and sticking an accusing finger against his chest. "I was talking to some monsters, just hanging out, not bothering anyone, when you ran in chasing that _pig, _and pushed me face down into my cupcakes, you made me look like a fool!" he was hysterically now, screeching and crying freely. "For once no one had a reason to hate me, but along you came chasing a damn pig and now the bullies have a something new to fixate on. It's not like I didn't have a list before! I'm shy, nerdy, I've never had a real date, I can't really control my invisibly or skin patterns. I wear glasses, I need an inhaler! And now they have this! Frosting face! All because you had nothing better to do that capture some stupid animal!" Randall's voice cracked at the end of his rant and he curled into himself even more.

Sully squinted and realized that his purple skin was darkly discolored. He had been nursing a wound, he realized. He tentatively reached for one set of arms and gently tugged the hands apart so he could see. What he saw made his eyes widen; the bruise wad bad. Deep, tender, and fresh. Something the lizard had said flashed through his mind. _And now the bullies have a something new to fixate on. _Had people been… abusing this kid? Because of something he had inadvertently done? A wave of horrible guilt crashed over him and his throat swelled. Randall was glaring at him, all of his arms crossed as he awaited a response.

"I'm sorry," Sully said, baritone thick with remorse. Randall's gaze softened and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Well, if it hadn't been you, they would have found something else. They always do…"

Sully looked at the other monsters frail form and knelt, wrapping his arms around him, as thought trying to keep him from breaking. They stayed for that for a few moments, whatever he'd been in a hurry to do forgotten and unimportant. The other scare major mumbled something into his fur as he nuzzled his chest.

"What?"

"Randall, my names Randall." He repeated.

"Oh, I'm Sully, James P. Sullivan."

"I know," Randall said simply and melted into his embrace again, hands grabbing fistfuls of blue fur tightly.

"Hey, looks like Sulivan's got a new best friend!" some idiot yelled.

Sully perked up.

"Hey, Randall," he said, pushing the monster back. "Why don't you start hanging out with me? No one will bully you when you're my pal."

"R-really? You'd do that for me?"

I kind of have to, I did this to you, Sully thought.

"Sure," he said, eagerly nodding. Randall suddenly became suspicious.

"Do you mean just public appearances or real friends? I don't need any more people being nice to me and pretending they like me just because they feel sorry for me."

Sullivan internally sighed. "Real friends, eat lunch together, walk to class together, study together, the whole shebang."

Randall's face was so joyful it was like Christmas had come early and Santa had gotten him everything on his list. Sully winced. Had this guy ever had a friend, _ever_?

A smaller by comparison body tackled him in a hug. "This'll be so great!" he cheered, snuggling into Sully. "A real friend, a _best_ friend!" he gasped. "I have a _real_ popular best friend. Can you imagine? _Me_ and you! Can I call you Sully?" His arms hugged him tightly and the wide, stupid grin on his face made James chuckle, gently prying the reptile from his body.

"Hey, I know I'm large, furry, and generally teddy bear like, but let's cut down on the hugs. We're friends, not a couple."

"Okay!" Randall agreed, hands clasping together with barely contained excitement.

"And yeah, you can call me Sully. Do you have a nickname?"

"Heck yeah! It's Rand…y—uh, no, actually I prefer Randall."

"Okay, cool."

Randall beamed, he was cool. A thought dawned on him.

"We're late for class!" he cried, dropping to the ground to grab his text books. Sully smacked his head, that's what he'd been doing.

"Come on," he grunted, scooping Randall up and charging across camass, noticing with some concern that the lizard weighed hardly anything. When they were at the classroom he set Randall to his feet. "Well, this is a good start to our friendship, making a big entrance."

They burst through the doors and Sully laid on the charm, winking at the girls and waving to some of the other people, calling them by name.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Sullivan." Mr. Knight said sarcastically. "And you…" he trailed off, eyes narrowed on Randall with vague recognition. His fronds drooped.

"Randall," he murmured, eyes on the floor.

"Yup," James said loudly, "My new buddy, Randall."

The green ball looked at them disbelievingly. Randall smiled sheepishly and waved, unconsciously stepping closer to Sully.

The two found a pair of empty seats next to each other and sat, ignoring the murmurs and questioning glances from the crowd of students. Randall looked uneasy by the amount of attention on him and fought to stay visible, clenching his pencil.

"Pst, relax, it's a good thing." Sully assured. He smiled gratefully and began scribbling notes, listening intently to the lecture.

A pop quiz was passed out and Randall scanned the paper closely. Sully glanced at it and rolled his eyes and scribbled his name, growing uneasy when he started reading the questions. Randall nudged his arm and switched papers with him, working on his own while Sully stared at the page with his name written on the top, questions fully answered. Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible.

When class ended and the students filed Randall received a number of shouted greetings.

"Hey, Randy!"

"Sup, Boggs?"

"Yo, wanna play Frisbee Ran-man?"

"R-a-handy, my man!"

Was this was popularity felt like? Randall swayed on his feet, light headed from the abrupt social attention—the nice attention. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"You okay?" his new friend asked.

"Y-yeah, never better."

_Disclaimer, I do not own Monsters University or any of the characters. I love Randall though. Review if you so desire. _


	2. Trophy

Randall Boggs was the kind of guy who blended into the background where ever he went. He was soft spoken and passive, years of bullying had made him that way. The salamander wasn't sure what about him it was that made people stuff him into lockers and push him on the playground. Maybe it was because he was socially gauche, tried not to talk too loud for saying the wrong thing, and when he needed confidence a familiar pessimism crept up on him. It could have been all those things, but he suspected the main reason was he wouldn't fight back (he'd rather run or go invisible) and the simple fact he was an easy target. Most monsters were bigger than he and could easily overpower him. Randall simply wasn't made for fighting, all of his natural defenses were aimed at escape from a situation or avoiding a situation altogether.

His new best friend, on the other hand, was genetically built so than brute strength was his main asset. Undeniably, intellectuality was not going to be what landed the purple stopped monster a job. He'd be hired for his looks, last name, and scaring ability. Randall had no family money, a worthless name, and was different from Sullivan in most every way imaginable. He was the kind of monster that—in prime evil times—latched onto another, bigger monster for protection. Not unlike the human animal, the cleaner fish.

Over the course of two days of a hopefully long friendship, Randall could honestly say he'd never been happier. He was left alone, but when he did receive attention it was positive. The same could not be said for James. While still popular, he was painfully aware of the snide remarks, sniggers and whispers from behind his back. But he persevered for his new 'best buddies' sake. When he offered to be friends he hadn't expected Randall to accept with such enthusiasm. The little monster had seriously taken everything he'd said to heart. When he woke up and completed his morning rituals, Randall was waiting outside the door to walk with him to class. He ate lunch at the cafeteria with him, tagged along when he played football with some of the guys (Randall never participated, just sat in the shade and cheered him on). Sullivan could grin and bear through all of this, but it was Randall's _clinginess _that unnerved him most. The smaller scare student gravitated to him and always had a reason to touch him innocently.

He'd step slightly to close and brushed against him when they walked to class, high fived him for little things, and grip his fur with only the excuse of balance loss. He was starting to think the creepy little dude had a crush on him. The thought made him blush beneath his fur. Sully pushed the idea far from his mind and racked it all up to social awkwardness and over friendliness.

. . .

Randall woke up that morning feeling incredibly good. He took a deep breath and threw the covers off, smoothly rolling out of bed. He quickly slithered over to the dresser and grabbed a tube a toothpaste and his purple toothbrush. Humming as he made his way to the bathroom Randall was feeling exceptionally confident. Today was the day; today he'd make Sully like him for sure! He was no fool, he knew that the blue mountain of fur hung out with him because he felt guilty, but today that was going to change. He was going to make friend with Sully for real, and perhaps true friendship would lead to more. But how? What did he and Sully have in common? Well, scaring, obviously. Maybe he would appreciate it if Randall helped him train or work out? Hadn't he said he didn't work out?

The restrooms were empty when he arrived, so he was free to hum and brush his teeth in peace. He pushed his glassed up and spit, tensing when the door opened and slammed shut loudly. He kept his gaze down and capped his toothpaste, turning silently toward the door. The _blocked_ door. A large monster stood in front of the doorway, arms folded over his chest.

Johnny Worthington. The purple haired monster smirked at him and uncrossed his arms. The salamander straightened and smiled.

"Hi, Johnny!" he said, smile curling at his lips. Johnny just smiled wider and stepped toward him.

"Hello, Randall. I saw you've taken a liking to our newest member." He said conversationally.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy I guess." Sully had told him specifically, no gushing.

"That he is, that he is, but listen, I need you to back off some. Sully needs some space, you're taking up all his time." Randall's fronds drooped.

"I didn't know…"

"It's fine, just back off a little," Johnny said sweetly.

"He didn't say anything, are you sure? I'll talk to him."

"No! I mean, you don't want to put him on the spot, what I'm saying is—" he shoved Randall back into the sink. The scaly monster arched in silent pain and blinked is confused, fear filled eyes at the ROR leader. "—Is your nerdy little self needs to leave Sullivan alone of he's out of Roar Omega Roar."

"B-but he's my friend!" he tried to sound angry and defensive, but it came out as a pathetic whimper. "I'm not hurting anything." He said, firmer this time. Johnny smiled and pushed him into the sink with more force. Randall cried out in pain, feeling his spine arch unnaturally. "Please, let me go!"  
"You're making him look like a pansy, and by association, us! Stop hanging around him or he's out of the fraternity." Randall couldn't stop the tears from flowing and he turned invisible to hide them. The claws gripping his shoulders suddenly reattached and he was released. "We'll be in touch," he said thoughtfully, and then he was gone.

Randall whimpered and slid to the floor, balling his eyes out.

After he got himself together he washed his face and hurried to class, running in just before the bell. A few eyes turned to him and he avoided their gaze, taking the first empty seat because Sully hadn't saved one for him. Randall sighed, out of it the whole class. When class was over he remained in his seat, staring at the floor with a vacant expression, Johnny's words repeating in his head. They were true, weren't they? Sully really didn't like him and was just being charitable. He knew that to be the case, but he'd thought he could sway the other student. Now the feat seemed not only impossible, but ridiculous. People like Sully didn't hang out with people like him. They just didn't. The only reason Sullivan tolerated him was because he pitied him. Well, he'd show him! His mother hadn't raised no helpless boy. He would start standing up for himself; he'd show ROR that he deserved to be Sully's friend. He'd be so popular _they_ wanted him to join their fraternity.

Randall would show them all that he was no loser. He'd make them see!

He shot of the chair with vigor and grinned, sauntering out of the room. He was tempted to try winking at the group of girls as he passed, but he settled for a nice, confident smile and a pleasant hello. To his surprise they smiled back, waving and wishing him a good day. With his ego boosted he cruised along the side walk, jumping to snatch the stray Frisbee from the air and toss it to the players. The red disc sailed toward them and a shaggy haired boy jumped to gab it.

"Thanks man!"

Randall smiled and walked with a skip in his step. Someone pulled up next to him.

"I saw that, smooth moves, man." Sully complimented, lightly punching his arm, frowning when Randall winced. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just slipped in the bathroom this morning."

"Slipped backwards into the skin?" James asked skeptically, eying the shape of his bruises. Randall's cheeks turned a dark red and he coughed.

"I'm talented like that."

"You can tell me if someone's messing with you, I'll set 'em straight, no one messes with my pal's."

The term made Randall's heart flutter. Pals.

"It's fine."

"You sure?"

Randall nodded, "I can take care of myself this time." One on his to do list, become semi popular so ROR won't hate him. Not that hard? Right.

. . .

Randall wracked his brain for a way to impress Roar Omega Roar. Sully had stolen that pig and they liked that. He could steal another fraternity's trophy or something of similar value and take it to Johnny. He slammed his fist into his palm, deciding that's exactly what he'd do. But what fraternity was ROR's rival? After some research he learned it was Jox, who had been beating ROR in the Scare and Shriek competition for the last two years. That settled it; he'd _borrow_ the trophy for that and show it to Roar Omega Roar. He looked out the window, the sky was darkened and the street lights on, he could do it tonight, if he wanted. A knot tied in his stomach and he gulped. Well, might as well get it over with.

He trekked to the Jox house and used his invisibility trick to sneak in, biting his tongue and rubbing at his eyes, unnerved each time he rediscovered his glasses were absent. He paddled quietly through the wide halls and up a staircase that emptied into a spacious room, school sports posters and team jerseys decorating the yellow walls. Thick fear rose in throat and was impossible to swallow. As he looked up at the gleaming trophy he lost his nerve and turned to leave, walking right into an orange fuzz ball. They tumbled to the ground and Randall lost concentration, becoming visible again.

"What are you doing here?" the monster asked, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Randall panicked and began babbling.

"I was trying to steal your Hide and Shriek award, but it wasn't stealing 'cause I was gonna bring it back, I just needed to impress Roar Omega Roar so I could still be friends with Sully!" he ended with a wail, sitting on the floor sniffing sadly. The other blinked at him, smiled softly and unlocked the cabnet. He handed the trophy to Randall, the slighter monster looking up at him questioningly.

"Promise to get it back before morning." George smiled kindly at him and ushered him through the nearest exit.

"Thank you…"

"George."

Randall thanked him again and again, hugging him once before zipping off to the ROR house. The lights were on and he heard voices inside. He took a calming breath and rapped importantly on the door. The one-eyes monster and answered. Randy muscled his was through and charged past the gathered group.

"Randall!" Sully exclaimed in surprise.

"Stay out of this, Sullivan." The lizard hissed, charging at Johnny.

"You think I'm just some loser? Well, could a loser get this?" he demanded, shoving the trophy at the horned monster. Johnny took it and examined. He smirked at Randall and handed it back to him.

"Very nice."

Randall nodded and clamped his mouth shut, storming out. "Your new friend has moxie, Sullivan. Tell him I'm impressed."

Back at Jox the trophy was in its place, cabinet shut and clean, save for a thank you note stuck to it.

_Okay, I've decided to post Randall one-shots as chapters here when I write any. They will probably range from friendship to romance. Please review if you so desire :)_


	3. Home Sick

**Home Sick**

There was a heavy, painful stone in the bottom of his stomach—no, it must have been his heart. Randall whimpered and rolled over in bed, clutching his middle in hopes pressure would ease the pain. He sighed into the dark and burrowed into the scratchy sheets, thinking briefly with some irritation that he had brought some from home but not bothered to put them on the mattress yet. These were giving his sensitive skin a rash. Had he been alone he would have flicked his little bedside lamp on and dug through his suitcases for the sheets right now, but he didn't want to risk waking Mike. Randall groaned and flung the covers off, poking his chest with one finger. His thoughts once again turned to home and the familiar anxious feeling returned, stronger this time.

Randall Boggs was homesick.

He shook his head stubbornly, thinking it incredibly silly that a monster in collage was homesick and missed his _mommy_. He sighed and ran a hand down his face. It was true. He'd never been away from home and his mother for longer than a summer when his father shipped him off to camp. He shuddered at the horrible memories of drafty cabins, creepy crawly bugs in his bed, ice cold dips in the algae infested lake, and exerting hikes up the mountain where you stopped, camped _out,_ and walked back _down_ the aforementioned mountain. He might as well have spent the summer in the backyard in a tent eating bugs and not going inside to use the bathroom, it was essentially the same experience. Except he might not have had to tolerate overly sprightly, piercingly loud camp counselor and rowdy preadolescence boys who enjoyed rough housing.

But his dad had convinced his mother that it would be good for meek little Randall. Randall himself had been harder to sway, but the crab monster had managed, saying it would be good for him to build character and physical endurance, that it would help him on his path to become a scarer. At most it only weakened his faith in youth and strengthened his hatred of nature.

But now, he'd have given anything to re-live those days because his mother would send him care packages and postcards. Now he would never receive another batch of cookies or handwritten letter. Randall sniffed and curled into a fetal position, mind replaying various precious memories of his deceased mother.

She had been a remarkably strong, beautiful woman who had raised him with often little help. He hadn't known where or who his dad had been, but it hadn't mattered because his mother had been enough. She had baked cookies and played baseball with him, both rites of passage for childhood. She juggled her baby and at times, two jobs. The reptile remembered spending a lot of time with his grandparents, and living with them when things were especially bad. In those days he only caught glimpses of his mothers mother of pearl colored tail as it passed through the front door.

On weekends he recalled early morning fishing trips with his grandma at a lake (where he was never forced to swim) and coming home to pancakes with Mom and grandpa. His sweet mother would wrap him in a long hug and pepper kisses on his head, leaving smears of lipstick as he laughed and squirmed. While he was little she'd sit him in her lap and they'd eat like that, playfully tossing strawberries into each other's gaping mouths—or trying to, they mostly missed.

Sunday was the one day she had free, and she always spend it with him. They would go out, just the two of them, and get ice cream or play at the park. Tears were sliding down his cheeks and dampening the pillow, but Randall didn't notice. His memories skipped forward in time to after his mother, Diana, had moved in with Mr. Waternoose. The house was bigger, but little Randall was more or less pushed to the side. He tried to be good, he really did, but his new daddy didn't really like him that much. A few years later Diana passed away peacefully in her sleep after years of battling a terminal disease.

He was fully sobbing now, smothering his cries with his wet pillow. A light turned on and the small room was flooded with artificial light. Mike sat up in bed, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eye.

"You okay?" the little green monster asked, blinking.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Randall mumbled, hiding under the covers. He heard small feet scurry across the room and weight appeared on the beds edge as Mike sat. A hand landed on his shoulder.

"How can you be fine? You're crying." He pointed out matter-of-facly. Randall remained silent and curled into a tighter ball. "Did you have a nightmare?" Mike prodded.

"…The waking kind."

"Oh."

Neither spoke or moved and Randall became annoyed. If Wazowski wasn't going to say anything he could just leave. He moved to get out from under the covers to tell him as much when the little monster leapt off the bed. Randall relaxed and laid down in a more comfortable position, suddenly exhausted. The same rhythm of footsteps reentered and approached him.

"What now?" he growled, glaring at his roommate, who held a glass of water and a pill.

"Here, at least drink the water, the others a sleeping pill that I like to take, you'll sleep to morning."

"What time is it now?" Randall questioned, vaguely looking for a clock.

"Uh… ten going on eleven." The salamander took the water and swallowed the tablet, gaze softening.

"Thanks, Mike."

"No problem, buddy. No get some shut eye, we want to be well rested for class tomorrow."

Randall chuckled quietly and rolled his eyes, eventually falling into a dreamless, blissful sleep.

_Super short, sorry. I still do not own Monsters Inc or any of its characters; Diana is a child of my mind, though. For a while I had an idea what Waternoose be Randall's dad, and that could be why he disliked Sully in the movies (because Waternoose liked Sully more than his son). Hope you liked it, please review if you did. Not to say that you couldn't review even if you didn't like it XD _


	4. House 214

**House 214 (Monsters Inc.) **

Randall shot a glare at Sullivan and entered his door with grim determination. When on the inside of the closet he heard noises on the other side of the door, about to turn and reenter the monster world without a second thought or care. What he heard next stopped him. It was the small, frightened, tear stained voice of a young child. Randall couldn't tell what had been said, but he was none the less prompted to peek out of the not fully closed door. What was on the other side was shocking. The little girl he'd been scaring for a few months now was pinned to her bed, face red and puffy with tears. A man was looming over her, babbling drunkenly into the child's face. Randall watched in horror as his massive hand suddenly rose and smacked the girl across the face.

She cried out in pain, instantly knowing her mistake as she was hit again.

Randall's fronds stood on end and he changed to blend in with the rooms paint, moving along the wall until he was in position near the bed. He watched for a few more moments, trapped in a disgusted trance before breaking free and lurching forward, knocking the man off the girl. He yelped in pain as an invisible force began wringing his fat neck. He choked as he was beaten by more unseen hands, slashing and tearing his flesh viciously.

The little girl whined and hesitantly opened her eyes, crawling to the edge of her bed and peeking over the headboard. Her crystal blue eyes widened under her frizzy bangs as she watched her father convulse on the floor. When he was still her savior materialized before her eyes, sneering in distain at the man beneath him. He glanced at her and attempted a reassuring smile. He clamored to an upright position and hauled the man toward her door. He then approached her, hands up and open as if to show he wasn't going to harm her. The girl's icy blue eyes melted and more tears streamed down her face. She threw herself at him, tiny frame shuddering as she sobbed. Randall cringed and placed a hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles.

"There there, hush." He murmured, but she only sobbed harder, grip tightening fearfully, as if he'd disappear any second. She looked up at him, face screwed up in pain and sadness. The monster sighed and knelt to her eye level, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Are you okay, honey? Did he hurt you?" he asked, forcing his dialog to be caring and tender, two things he normally wasn't. Her little head bobbed up and down, making his heart sink. "Has he hurt you before?" She whimpered and buried her face in his belly, refusing to verbally reply. Randall felt hate well up within him as he pet her hair, whispering meaningless, illegible comforts and emitting calming noises. Eventually the girl settled down and he tucked her into bed, arranging her stuffed animals around her. She smiled in her sleep and latched onto one, snuggling and holding it close. Randall smiled and caressed the side of her bruised cheek before turning to take care of the human male.

He dragged the man out onto the back lawn and locked him outside, wickedly grinning at the storm clouds above. He briefly pondered what to do, obviously he couldn't call the human police. An idea popped into his head and he rushed inside, quickly gathering the materials he required. He hurriedly scrawled a note and became invisible again, going a few houses down and placing the folded paper on their door with a piece of tape. The front simply said, _Help the girl in house 214._

Randall went back to the child's room, planning on returning to his own world when a tiny voice called to him.

"Thank you," she said softly from her bed, bright eyes almost glowing in the darkness as she watched him.

"You're welcome, kid."

"I'm Lucy," she said out of the blue, placing her thumb in the side of her mouth and sucking it innocently. Randall moved slowly toward her, giving a genuine smile as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"Lucy, huh? My name's Randall."

"Randall," she pronounced the name carefully, squirming out from under the covers and crawling toward him. She plopped down on his lap and looked at him. "Are you a monstwer?" her young voice naturally slurred the words, slightly mispronouncing them. Randall swallowed and put his arms around the girl, supporting her.

"Lucy, who was that man hurting you?"

Her little face darkened and she pursed her lips.

"Please, you can tell me."

"My daddy."

"…I think you're daddy was the real monster. You see, a monster isn't what someone looks like, it's how they act and what they do. He's a monster for hurting someone so tiny like you."

"You hurt papa." Lucy pointed out, sticking her whole fist in her mouth and gnawing on it. Randall stalled, but came up with an explanation.

"He and me are both big people, right? He and I had a fairer fight than he and you. I'd never hurt someone little like you."

She blinked at him, eyelids drooping sleepily. "Why'd you scare me..?"

For once he had no answer. "I-I don't know kid, but you sure scared me tonight."

Lucy was half asleep now, the terror and exhaustion taking its toll. Her body relaxed and Randall gently picked her up, sweeping the covers back and laying her down. He once again gathered her toys and placed them by her, slipping a purple cloth lizard right into her arms. She clutched it dearly and turned onto her side, oblivious to the world.

Randall looked to the closet door, knowing he had to get back, he'd been gone to long already. But something made him pause. Sorrow tugged at his heart, worry for the girl making him want to stay with her, making sure no harm came to the child. He sighed and was possessed to kiss her cheek, covering her with her blanket before slithering to his exit.

"Bye, kid, try not to scare me so bad next time." With those last words he reentered the monster world, painfully aware that there would not be a next time.

Fungus bombarded him with anxious inquiries about why there had been such a long wait. Asking if he was okay, hurt, had the kid touched him?

Randall stared despondently into space and instructed the little monster to get him another door, that this one was busted.


End file.
